during the first Earth Day, two friends of mine got pulled in by local precinct cops for using Parks Department supplied paint to draw a very artistic raised clench fist on the inner wall of the flag circle surface. we were trying to get the park renamed "people's park" so that folks would recognize the Sunset Park wasn't just the park, but the neighborhood that surrounded it. we felt, that to unite the community we had to end the confusion of the name of our neighborhood. at the time sunset was known most popularly as Bay Ridge, followed by South Brooklyn, then Gowanus, Bush Terminal. No one called it Park Slope or Borough Park. I had to go to the precinct - then at 43rd & 4th and demand the release of the young painters.

I think they were on the verge of collapse and needed to be rebuilt. The parish could not afford to have them rebuilt. As a matter of fact, they have even closed the grammar school due to lack of funds.